Restaurant at Heddon's Gate Hotel

In a tranquil and spectacular setting on the side of a wooded Exmoor valley, diners enjoy an aperitif and browse the varied wine list before settling down to an excellent five-course dinner. All dishes from the limited-choice, daily-changing menu are freshly prepared by the proprietors using locally-reared meat and locally-landed fish. The cooking is unpretentious and aims to be simply "a celebration of good food". Start with a home-made onion and thyme soup, followed by a small baked timbale of Mediterranean vegetables and goats' cheese, which is bursting with flavour.

Then choose between a succulent roasted rack of lamb with rosemary gravy and a fillet of wild sea bass with a red pepper sauce, both served with fresh vegetables. The dessert options always feature a traditional favourite such as sticky toffee pudding topped with Devon clotted cream; alternatively try the rich Baileys crème brûlée or the proprietors' special tropical Eton mess. There is a choice of superb dessert wines to accompany this course.

Round off the meal with a selection of first-class West Country cheeses, perhaps accompanied by a glass of port. Then adjourn to the bar for coffee and handmade chocolates in the company of the other guests and diners. The only curious thing is that, after such a satisfying evening, one's appetite for an English breakfast is always there the following morning!